You can add this wire tank topper to the top of a 10 gallon aquarium to add space to your hamster’s home. Here are the pluses and minuses.

Pluses

The topper includes a wire cage top, food dish, water bottle, a hideout house, shelves and ramps.

It comes with two clips to attach the wire top to your fish tank.

Easy to assemble as it fits right on top of the aquarium.

It gives your hamster about double the space to move around in and explore. Instead of just running around on the floor of the fish tank, your hammy can run up and down the ramps and on the shelves.

Easy to clean. Just take the clips off to remove the top for cleaning. (You still have to clean out the glass cage itself.) Reassembly is also easy. This saves you a lot of time.

Good size for one Syrian hamster.

Good value. If you use this topper and a fish tank you get a complete hamster cage at a good price.

Minuses

Fits some aquariums better than others. There can be small differences in the dimensions of fish tanks, even if its size is 10 gallons. If your topper doesn’t fit smoothly on your tank, don’t fight it – just take it back.

Because of the spacing between the wire bars, small dwarf hamsters may be able to squeeze through. Use toppers only if you have large dwarfs or a Syrian hamster.

Ramps are steep, especially for smaller or dwarf hamsters. Check to see if your hamster is able to climb the ramps easily. You don’t want your hamster falling from the top ramp to the bottom of the aquarium.

The food bowl is supposed to go on the top shelf. Because it can be light when empty, your hamster can easily throw it to the bottom.

The water bottle is part of the little house that goes on the bottom of the tank. It’s a small water bottle that’s too close to the ground. Use a regular water bottle instead.

The only way to get at your hamster is from above (unless you take the top off). So you have to bend over or have long arms to reach your hamster if he or she is on the bottom of the tank.

If you have one Syrian hamster, or a pair of dwarf hamsters, an aquarium is a good choice for a hamster cage. The glass or plastic 10 or 20 gallon fish tank offers a lot of benefits including visibility, safety, and cleanliness.

Visibility

Since aquariums are glass or plastic on all sides, it’s easy to see your hammy when he or she is out and about. You can have a clear view of it running in its wheel or running through tubes you’ve set up along the floor of the cage. Sometimes you can even see them when they burrow down into their bedding.

And if you do hamster breeding, the clear sides will let you look in on your nest of baby hamsters.

You could also buy a “topper” for the glass cage. The topper, made of wire, sits on top of the aquarium and lets you add additional levels that your hamster can climb up. With the topper, you have more chances to see your hamster climbing and playing.

Safety

The aquarium hamster home also provides a few safety benefits. First, the smooth glass sides make it very difficult for your hamster to climb up and escape. With wire cages, hamsters can climb around the wires until they find a space big enough to fit through. Or, worse yet, they can get caught in between the wires and hurt themselves. Since there’s no climbing up the sides, the aquarium cuts down on escapes and potential wire bar accidents.

In plastic cages hamsters have been known to gnaw their way through the plastic. They won’t be gnawing through the glass.

Of course, if there are toys for your hamster to climb on in the aquarium you can be sure they will find their way to the opening at the top. That’s why you have to have a tight-fitting mesh top on your aquarium.

If you have other pets, such as a cat or a dog, the aquarium can provide better protection for your hamster. With glass, your other animal won’t be able to stick its claws or paws through the wires and hurt your hamster. Of course, you must remember to keep the top covered.

Another safety factor is that some hamster cages end up being put in drafty areas of a room. Too many breezes going through the cage can make your hammy sick. The tall glass sides of the aquarium help cut down on breezes. Of course, your hamster still needs air coming through the mesh covering.

Cleanliness

Hamsters like to burrow. And when they do, most owners will tell you their hamster will dig up bedding, shavings, leftover food, and even some poop. With wire bottom cages, that stuff can get scattered all over the place outside of the cage. So not only do you have to clean the cage, but also the area around it.

With an aquarium, all that bedding stays inside the glass cage. No more mess all over the place. It’ll be much more fun watching your hamster burrow in its cage knowing you won’t have to clean up after it.